Intro…

I recently posted a list of things I was learning. I had already been thinking of doing some writing on the topics and once my pastor encouraged me, it was a done deal.

I must first preface these things with what led to me finally grasping the necessity of them. There is a common underlying theme in the bible that a lot of pastors shy away from because it is not the cheeriest of messages.

Psalm 18, Philippians 4:13, Matthew 5:12 and likely more verses than I will ever know have a common theme. God is our way through some really crappy times. I am not talking about a flat tire kind of crappy time. I am talking about the type of things that claim the life or soul of those that  do not have a way through them. I am talking about things that change you on a foundational level. I am talking about tragedy.

Through October 13th of 2016 the greatest tragedy I had faced was the death of my father. Yes this was hard but I know that there are many who have a harder time than I did with that. My father and I were never close. He was gone most of my childhood and adulthood. He missed 11 straight birthdays and the first one he had the chance to be around the family after that, he decided it was not worth an hour drive to be there. So while there was some pain (still is but that is centered around my ego and not the loss of him) it was not as deeply felt as someone who could say that their dad was their best friend…. or a friend….. or even someone they really knew.

October 14 2016 is the day all that would change. This is the day my life would truly turn to shit. I lost everything that day including nearly my life. That was the day that my wife and I separated with no chance of reconciliation.

As I tell this story I will be detailing my part, my sins and my rock bottoms. Heather’s part of the story is hers to tell to whomever she wishes whenever she wishes.

We have been married since 2002. Honestly we were never on the most stable ground as we did not have the firmest foundation to build upon. But I will not lay all these things out, that is another tale for another time. I will take the 5 years leading up to this.

The biggest contribution I made to this event was not controlling my anger….. ok not anger: FLAT OUT RAGE. I was very much like Banner/ Hulk. I could switch at any time. I created an environment where my family had to be fearful that my anger would manifest at anytime. This had been a growing problem for sometime but it really got worse the last few years. I see now that I abused my family emotionally, there is no other way to say it. I refused to accept that I needed help and I hid my problems from the rest of the world. My closest friends, mentors and family had no idea.

If you are doing either of these, stop it. Get help, let people in. Not so they can judge you (like I thought they would) but so they can help you. The enemy is tricky that way, he uses our ego against us to keep us from the help we need.

Long story short, after 15 years and a sharp progression, or more accurately regression, of my rage. My wife had enough. I cannot blame her. Up to that point I had given her a thousand justifiable reasons to leave me over the years.

I never thought this would happen. I never imagined a life that did not include Heather and now it was being forced upon me. My facade had been shattered. Suddenly people started seeing the truth behind the mirage we had presented. Honestly I even started believing some of it myself which also kept me from taking it serious when my wife sobbed begging me to get help over and over.

So this period of separation was the catalyst for a period of the most tangible and deeply seeded change I would ever encounter. I have changed more in 10 months that in 15 years of marriage and even in 38 years of life. The story is not about 3 months of hell, it’s about the other side, it’s about the person I’ve become since.

 

Symbolism I am seeing and what the symbols symbolize.

It has been forever since I wrote anything but I have been convicted lately to put certain thoughts to (digital) paper. This exercise may just be for me to get some stuff out or someone may actually benefit from it.

I have been seeing a lot of things in the bigger picture sense lately. As I am reading, listening and learning, the keyhole broadens. I am not sure if this is a God thing or maybe just how my mind works but I am finding that there are a lot of things that I can no longer take at face value. I will be discussing these interpretations in this and future blog posts, so if you have no interest, close your browser now.

Still here…. SUCKER!!!

The first thing I want to write on is a verse that came up in the bi-monthly meeting of my band of brothers. it is James 1:27.

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

After many years in the church environment I basically thought that this meant to be of assistance to that demographic. Essentially that these verses were calling me to charity work. So I joined my wife in fighting human trafficking, sponsored 2 kids in foreign lands and thought “I am living up to this.”

While those few charitable things I mentioned are certainly awesome things to do and by giving my time, efforts & money to these things I am certainly seeing to orphans like the verse (at face value) says. However after meeting with my homies, I was convicted to expand the parameters of this verse. I started to pray in the spirit and after a 20 minute drive home my brain felt like it had been through a weekend seminar.

As I started looking at this from a spiritual perspective, my definition of widows and orphans changed. When we think of widows we think of a woman who’s husband has died. I have heard several references to Christ being the bride of the church (including the parable about the chicks with lantern oil) and wanted to dig a little deeper.

Isaiah 54:5

For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.

I know… Old testament, doesn’t “really apply” to those of us under the new covenant right… (there needs to be a sarcasm font)

2 Corinthians 11:2English Standard Version (ESV)

² For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

We are betrothed to the 1 husband, the bridegroom, that would be Jesus. If we believe that is the case, then who are the spiritual widows in this world?

Maybe you see where I am going with this, but before I bring home my final point, let’s talk about orphans. Of course I am not talking about Annie or the kids you see on late night TV. Although if you are not sponsoring one of them, please visit https://www.compassion.com/ and quit being so selfish!!

As widows lack husbands, orphans have no parents. So I looked at a couple of verses that had to do with God as our spiritual father.

Psalm 65:3 (NIV)                                                                                                                                   A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.

Ephesians 2:8-10

oFor by grace you have been saved pthrough faith, and that not of yourselves; qit is the gift of God, 9 not of rworks, lest anyone should sboast. 10 For we are tHis workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Now if saving (also loving)  someone despite their works, beliefs or if they “deserve” it certainly sounds like the type of love only a parent can bestow. I love and adore my wife but there are  times (more than I’d like to admit) that I give this kind of grace to my kids and not her. So I am working on that.

And let’s think of the magnitude of that gift, this unearned grace. While we are the least deserving is when God shows us the most love. (that may be the topic of another blog)

I deduced that  in the spiritual sense widows have no spiritual father and orphans have no spiritual parents.

So when we I look at the verse from James we started with, here is how I see it from this expanded perspective:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to chase after the lost  in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

What if this verse has nothing to do with our traditional view of widows and orphans but instead is a statement that the “religion” that God accepts is to create disciples? Seeing as how that was the last thing he said before taking the escalator to eternity, we maybe should focus on this. Their distress is not knowing Jesus. Can you imagine the distress you would be under if you did not have him in your life (or the lack of stress of you truly gave your life to him (subnote to my subnote, preaching in the mirror there) and let him control that one area you just cannot seem to let go of)

So let us do our part to make our religion one that God accepts as pure and faultless. Let us undertake the task we were designed for. Let us show God that just as he selflessly gave everything for us, we are going to give selflessly to those that he wants as part of the kingdom, you know, like everyone that is not already there.

 

My thoughts on the insanity at Woodland Hills.

Recently there has been situations at Woodland Hills Youth Development Center (further referred to as WHYDC) These involve students escaping by kicking out panels under windows and crawling under the perimeter fence. Then last night there was a riot that left multiple guards injured. Now of course in this day and age of internet and social media everyone has an opinion of how to fix the problems. Some people think that all students there are just thugs who need their butt kicked. Some people think that it is all the fault of the staff and guards. One person I saw even commented that these are children and could not possibly be dangerous. I am writing this to offer a perspective that few can offer. I spent a year behind those walls as a Security Officer.

I really don’t want to get into the blame game and just say who did what wrong. My desire is to state what I think needs to happen moving forward. There are two changes I see that need to be made. One is a physical change, the other is a shift in mentality.

The physical change I see that needs to be made is in the locks on the doors of the dorms. The students can open their doors at any time. I saw this lead to many issues. How can you keep someone contained when there is no lock on their door. This is one thing that struck me as odd from my first tour of the facility. Sometimes students would open their doors after lights out to be mischievous and throw wads of wet toilet paper at another student’s door. Sometimes a group would come out after lights out and trash their dorm. I was assaulted by a student that came out of his room after lights out, resulting in a microfracture in my shoulder that still causes pain. Then you have what happened this week, students escaping from the dorms, then from WHYDC all together. All of which could have been avoided if these students were not able to waltz out of their rooms whenever they please, with only the threat of disciplinary action to keep them in. 

Now I get to what I feel needs to be a total overhaul of how WHYDC sees and runs itself. It is called a youth development center. I would say a generous estimate would be that one out of twenty students there actually want to better themselves and are receptive to the treatment and help available to them. I have no data on this, it is just my experience. If you have ever tried helping someone who doesn’t want your help, or doesn’t even have a clue why they need help, you know that it is impossible to help them. Many of the students there don’t see anything wrong with the life they have led and have no desire to change. A large portion of the ones that do obey the rules are only doing enough to get out, so their progress is lost as soon as they clear the gate. So in my mind WHYDC needs to stop kidding itself and stop trying to rehabilitate those who are refusing to be rehabilitated. It needs to embrace the image of juvenile detention. It needs to be more like real corrections environments. There are students that make repeat visits and spend much of their teens there. I saw one student come back a mere two weeks after completing his rehabilitation program. That is a fail. 

I say help the ones that want to be helped. The ones who so not want to be helped and cause problems, treat them like the criminals they are, incarcerate them. Take away everything but school and recreation. Take away television, evening snack weekly commissary and all other perks. Make the experience equal to a students attitude. If a student shows improvement, improve their situation.

I’m not saying that I have all the answers, but these are the ways I see that the facility could improve. It would keep staff safer and saner.

It may be ok, but it’s not ok.

So there is a lot in the news, national and local about people saying stupid things. There is a billionaire who has some not so nice things to say about a certain race. I just read a story of a local burger dive that refused to serve a gay couple. While these actions are not illegal, they are not acceptable. There is no law that says that the owner of a sports team cannot say what he thinks about black people. However, if you are going to say things that are disparaging to a entire race, you should be ready to be hauled into the court of public opinion.

I think that the comments from Sterling were left in a voice mail. But guess what, when you are a public figure, there is no private conversations. However, my biggest issue (aside from the man being a racist toolbox) is the fact that he runs an NBA team. If the next statement offends anyone, get over yourself, it’s truth, not speculation. A majority of NBA players and fans are black. In the words of Holden McNeil in Chasing Amy “If you assult and accost them (the audience) then we have no audience.” That is just bad business. He managed to tick off the ethnicity that makes up a bulk of his payroll and revenue stream. What an idiot.

Then I hear of a local restaurant that refused to serve a homosexual couple. While they may have the right to refuse service, they do not have the right to mock anyone’s lifestyle and make them feel less than human.  If it is policy for them not to serve BIG BURGERS to gay people on the side of the river in Clarksville, then let them be bold enough to take a stand and put a big sign on the door. That way, the gay people know they are not welcome, and everyone else walking in knows what kind of restaurant they are soliciting and can choose to eat there or stand on a hypothetical rainbow float and not eat there. When you stand for something, why not go all the way.

While neither of these acts are against the law, they show a lack of tact, a lack of intelligence and cowardice. If you are against a group of people because they are black or gay, don’t hide it. Be proud of who you are. Make it known to the world, that way you make easy targets. I’ve seen an angry gay black man before, makes the Hulk look like a kitty cat!!!!

“Why hate someone based on race when if you take the time to get to know them, you can find so many better reasons to hate them”    -Dennis Miller

Endo from the eyes of the hubby.

So my blog before was centered around a love of mine: movies. I haven’t written in over a year, but I have been inspired by recent events. I transition to my biggest love on this planet, my wife.

My wife has been diagnosed with endometriosis. If you know as much about this disease as I did before it became part of my life, then you don’t know jack. I won’t get into the medical description, there are sites that can explain it better than I, I will get into the tangibles, because I can explain those based on what I’ve seen my wife going through.

My wife has had signs of this disease since she came into puberty. I’m sure many women have symptoms such as severe cramping and back pain. They may think this is normal or that they just get hit harder once a month. Now that she is past 30 we find out that these are a result of endometriosis. Lesson learned: don’t ignore things that are out of the ordinary. If you hurt more than someone else, there is likely a reason.

Let’s move to the here & now. First I’ll talk physically. My wife is in constant pain. I no longer have to ask if she is hurting, I inquire to what degree she is hurting. She has many analogies she uses to describe the pain she feels. One of the most common is that it feels like someone is squeezing her uterus in a vise. I say again, that’s one of the most common ones.

Anyone who has dealt with chronic pain, anything from headaches to back problems can have some empathy, but imagine that level of pain on a full time basis, while raising 2 kids, being a soccer mom, rocking her way through nursing school, while working in 3 different ministries at church. We rarely had downtime before, now when we do, she is usually hurting from everything she had to do that day.

Then there is the fact that when you suffer from chronic pain, it makes everything you have to do that much harder. So don’t be so judgy about the fact that my kids are fast food 3 times last week or the fact that our floor needs to be mopped. Put your internal organs in a vise & see how far you get from your heating pad!!!

Then there is the mental strain she has to endure. Chronic pain does not Bring out the best in people. Not condemning my wife, but facts are facts. This robs her of energy an patience that she should be able to place elsewhere and it sucks, for her, the kids and me. She tries and fights, but we all have limits.

Here is one thing that Doctor’s don’t often talk about in regard to this horrible disease. We fought for 5 years to have our second child. We have been fighting in attempts to have a third. Because of this disease, it will be a struggle for he to conceive. We are relying on God to provide us another miracle baby. As a woman who would like nothing more than to be knocked up, it’s hard for her to face certain things. now we get that it’s all going to happen on God’s clock, not ours, but it is still frustrating. So while she I happy for her friends who are expecting, it’s hard. When she sees some dumb irresponsible teenager on TV who gets pregger just by thinking about a man, it’s hard. When she holds a friends newborn, it’s hard.

So add up the mental strain, physical toll, and the fact that there is no end in sight, it all adds up to the fact that my wife is an amazing woman. The limits of what she is able to deal with (which have not even been seen yet) are far beyond mere mortals. I love her so much and hope that we can find treatment, for the disease, the pain it causes and the mental price paid.

Thomas on Talkies 10 OSCAR EDITION

Here is my predictions of the 6 biggest awards at the Oscars this year. I will review the nominations for best picture, director, actor, actress, supporting actor and supporting actress and give my who should and will win predictions.

Starting with supporting actor.
Alan Arkin- Argo
Robert DeNiro- Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman- The Master
Tommy Lee Jones- Lincoln
Christoph Walkz- Django Unchained

I have seen all 5 of these movies and these performance are all great. Arkin plays the same character in pretty much everything, but does it so well that it already won him this prize. DeNiro, well it’s Deniro. The man chews up a script and spits out excellence. Hoffman is a very underrated actor, always does an amazing job, The Master just gives him a role to show how awesome he is. Jones, delivered a wonderful emotional performance, sad it was overshadowed by another wonderful emotional performance. And Waltz was, for me, the highlight of Django.
Should win: Chrispolph Waltz
Will win: tough call here, a lot of talented actors here who the academy likes. Jones edging DeNiro.

Supporting actress.
Amy Adams- The Master
Sally Field- Lincoln
Anne Hathaway- Les Miserables
Helen Hunt- The Sessions
Jacki Weaver- Silver Linings Playbook
Let me first say that I have not seen the Sessions, so I cannot speak to Hunt’s performance. So I will focus on the other 4. I was amazed to find out that this was Adam’s 3rd nom, she doesn’t jump out as an acting powerhouse. But she did well in a very odd movie. Field handled the role of Mary Todd like only Ms Gump could. Hathaway is barely in the first 30 minutes of Les Miz, but her heart-wrenching song was the highlight of the flick. Weaver in SLP did an amazing job, I would look at her as an example of a regular parent trying to do her best with her son’s problems. She isn’t perfect, but tries her hardest.
Should win- Hathaway
Will win- Hathaway, everyone in Tinseltown seems enamored with her performance.

Best Actress.
Jessica Chastain- Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence- Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva- Amour
Quvenzhanle Wallis- Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts- The Impossible
Here I am at a huge disadvantage, having only seen 2 of the nominated performances. I will have to rely on the buzz I have read. Wallis brings a sense of childlike wonder to an otherwise depressing and boring movie. She was the only “silver-lining” and I commend her on that. Lawrence was serviceable in SLP, I just felt she was overmatched by better performances. When on-screen with DeNiro or interacting with Cooper in a performance that takes him from a movie star to an actor, I feel an older more seasoned actress would have been better.
Should win- Quvenzhane Wallis, just to reset the record for youngest winner. She’s nine for pete’s sake.
Will win- Take your pick between who the voters are fawning over right now, Chastain or Lawrence.

Best Actor.
Bradley Cooper- Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day Lewis- Lincoln
Hugh Jackman- Les Miserables
Joaquin Phoenix- The Master
Denzel Washington- Flight
The only one of these I’ve missed was Flight. Cooper blew me away in SLP. He was brilliant and if not for the performance of the year, he and Jackman would be battling it out for the trophy. Jackman showed great chops by taking us on an emotional roller-coaster while singing every word. But the best of the lot is far and away Lewis as Lincoln. This guy deserves to be seen as the best of our generation. The way he immerses himself in roles is legendary. If you aren’t familiar with his entire body of work, you are doing yourself a disservice.
Should and will win- Daniel Day Lewis
Just watch the trailer for this movie and you’ll agree.

Best Director.
Michael Haneke- Amour
Benh Zeitlin- Beasts of the Southern Wild
Ang Lee- Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg- Lincoln
David O Russell- Silver Linings Playbook
Yet to see Amour or Pi, so forgive their omissions. Beasts was kind of like a documentary into the life of the people on the island, and honestly I was bored. Lincoln was SS taking a great cast, great subject and making a great movie. Which he has won gold for before (Schindler and Private Ryan) However the standout for me was Russell for SLP. Any director that can pull the performance out of Cooper that he did deserves a lifetime achievement award!!!!
Should win- Affleck, but that’s a different conversation so I’ll go with Russell
Will Win- Spielberg

Best Picture.
Amour
Argo
Beasts Of The Southern Wild
Django Unchained
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
No love from me for Amour, Pi or Zero Dark as I haven’t seen them.
Argo is an old yiddish word meaning: holy crap Affleck makes great movies. I was riveted from credits to credits and I knew how it would end. Beasts as stated above was boring. It looked amazing, but was boring. What can I say about Django. It was awesome. All of the performances gave me more respect for the actors playing them. Les Miz had some great performances, Hathaway, Cohen and Jackman, and some mediocre ones, Crowe and Seyfried. Lincoln all around amazing. SLP was good, but could have been better without the dancing subplot.
Should win- Argo
Better win after snubbing the director- ARGO!!!

I know this is a long one, thanks for reading.

Thomas on Talkies 9

Ok so instead of reviewing I have decided to list the movies to see in 2013. I have broken them into three categories, Movies to see in the Theater, watch as soon as available at home and watch eventually. They are listed by release date, not desire to watch.

My eventually movies are:
Broken City
Lone Ranger
Despicable Me 2
Oldboy
Ender’s Game

As soon as available at home:
Gangster Squad
Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters
A Good Day To Die Hard
Snitch
Jack The Giant Slayer
Oblivion
Pain and Gain
The Great Gatsby
After Earth
World War Z
Monsters University
Kick Ass 2
Red 2
Elysium
Jack Ryan

Theater worthy:
Oz The Great And Powerful
Iron Man 3
Star Trek Into Darkness
Man Of Steel
Pacific Rim
The Wolverine
300 Rise Of An Empire
Percy Jackson Sea Of Monsters
Sin City A Dame To Kill For
Thor The Dark World
The Hunger Games Catching Fire
The Hobbit The Desolation Of Smaug

So there it is, my next year of cinema planned out.

Top 5 movies of 13 that can’t get here soon enough.

5 Pacific Rim- Giant robots take on giant aliens, nuff said.

4 Sin City 2- been waiting for this since walking out of the theater of the first.

3 Hobbit 2- I wanna see that dragon!!!

2 The Wolverine- Hopefully the studio will learn from the first Wolverine movie and keep their hands off!!

1 Star Trek 2- loved the first entry & now they are adding Sherlock, ummm YES PLEASE!!!

Thomas on Talkies 8

Here we go Superfriends. Today’s bit of cinematic fare is the new adaption of Dredd. Starting comments, there is no way this can be worse than the previous adaption. Stallone’s version had terrible writing and strayed from everything that made the source strip awesome. But I will not review that drivel as it would require me to rewatch it!!

I am a huge Karl Urban fan. He has been regulated to second billing in most movies, but plays all types of characters wonderfully. He pulls off everything from villain [Bourne 2], super intense hero [LOTR] and even handles comedy wonderfully [Star Trek]

Seven minutes in and the wonderful intensity from LOTR is back. He is already showing more Dredd-like mannerisms in five minutes than Stallone showed in two hours. I am also liking the look of this movie so far. The Judge bike, uniform and weapons look great.

The new trend in comic movies that honors the source material rather than just lifting a general story line is great. Singer changed the game with X-men and the adaptions we get are truer. It’s a great time to be a comic and movie geek. even though this movie tanked at the box office, it can hold it’s head high that it was a true adaptation of the comic strip. It’s gritty, violent and visually outstanding.

I don’t say this often, but I can see how 3D would have aded to this movie in big ways. Thirty mins in and I am digging this flick!! It’s not going to sweep the Academy, but it is great for what it is.

The plot is actually really good. It feels like a story that would take place in this world and doesn’t feel forced or cheesy.

The hero speech that Dredd gives only furthers his badassery. Urban’s performance is wonderful as the cold cop dedicated to hard justice. HE IS THE LAW!! Love his one-liners!!

The arrival of four new judges raises the stakes for the climax. Saw where it was going as soon as they were called, however still loved the resolution.

There was a moment at 1hr 11mins that just literally just made me say “Oh Poop” But not that PG. Love the way justice is served in the climax. I wish this movie had done better or becomes a hit on the home market. Would love to see a sequel.

At an 1 hour 35 mins this is a short action movie. Nice to see the people in charge didn’t feel the need to put in a lot of unnecessary filler to make the movie good. I really enjoyed it and the movie left me wanting to see more stories out of this universe.

TOP 5: Top 5 reboots that surpassed the original. I could put Dredd in this list but that would be cheating.

5. The Punisher 2004. A huge step up from the Lundgren debacle from the 90’s.

4. Star Trek 2009. I know some older Trek fans would disagree that the new isn’t as good as the old. As a non-Trekkie, I loved this movie.

3. Man Of Steel. I know this hasn’t come out, but it has to be better than Singer’s Emo-Superman!!!

2. Captain America. The 90’s movie version in unwatchable. The reboot starring Johnny Storm…. errr Chris Evans was wonderful. Imagine the challenge of doing a comic adaption that is a period piece. Well done Joe Johnston.

1. Dark Knight Trilogy. Epic from Begins to end. These 3 flicks have set the standard for what a comic movie can and should be. Who would have thought that a Batman film could win an acting Oscar. Love these flicks!!!!

Thomas on Talkies #7

Ok superfans, I know it’s been a while, but hey life is busy. Today’s bit of cinema is the Bourne Legacy. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!! As you know from reading previous, i kinda throw out random thoughts as I watch the movies. Kind of a live review.

I’m a little nervous as to how this will turn out, love all three of the Damon entries and my jury is still out on Renner. With the exception of The Town, I haven’t seen him do anything special yet. MI4 and Avengers were good but I can’t say he added to them.

So away we go. I love the not so subtle nob to Identity in the opening shot. OK so when did fighting wolves in the arctic make you a BA? Oh yeah, after Liam Neeson did it!!!!

Yeah!! Edward Norton, love him as an actor. So far I’m confused on the timeline, it references events from Ultimatum and then more wolves…. Only ten mins in so far so hopefully answers will come.

Apparently this is a kinder friendlier agent, he is really being sweet to the other program member. The other guy doesn’t seem as nice.

Almost thirty mins in and nothing is really happening, the other Bourne’s grabbed me from the get go, this one, not so much. Well at least something just blew up, it’s getting better. It’s still pretty boring watching the hero fight wolves and drones.

It’s kind of sad that I am more interested in the parallel story to Ultimatum than the story of Cross. I hate it when they portray women as stupid in these movies, this chick knocks a gun out of a mad scientist’s hands and then runs away allowing him to pick the weapon back up. DUMB!!!

I’m wondering why all these movies have to be about agents off the reservation. Where is the movie about a superspy program that goes right?

What Costco does she shop at that she had a agent in her pantry??? I WANT ONE!!!! So it took an hour to get to the new Bourne kicking some butt. The single camera shot up the side of the house was well done.

So at one hour and fifteen minutes we finally get to the plot of the movie, Cross is an addict. And luckily the doctor lady is explaining what is going on.

I’ve got forty five minutes to go and I am bored. I wish I could viral myself out of watching this movie, but for my faithful readers, I will trudge on.

Nothing really special in the set up for the third act/finale. Let’s hope this last 20 mins makes up for the rest of this otherwise lame reboot. The parkour and motorcycle chase have both been done better in other movies. And out of no where it literally comes to a crashing stop.

What would have made this better. First off more action, simple fix there. Secondly a different music supervisor. The score was good for a spy movie, but lacking that cool factor that the others in this series had. Third: main characters that I care about. This was a mediocre reboot of a phenomenal series, but the sequels could be fixed. Maybe they could take the series in a different direction by bringing an new agent for each subsequent movie.

This weeks top 5 list. Top five actors to cast in The Bourne series.
5. Garrett Hedland. He was actually pretty good in Tron: Legacy.

4. Michael Fassbender. I know he is already in 2 reboot series and taking on Assassin’s Creed, but I think he would be excellent.

3. James MacAvoy. Prof X could pull it out, this time the agent would have a personality!!

2. Clive Owen. Do a parallel that leads up to his involvement in Bourne 1.

1. Matt Damon. How about the leader of a group of rouge Bourne’s fighting evil all over the world. Call it Team Bourne: World Police!!!

Thomas on Talkies #6

Today faithful reader (I assume only my wife reads this) I am watching Tim Burton’s Batman from 1989. This was the first event movie I can remember. I was about to turn 11 when this came out. It was a great time to be a kid and Batfan. I was caught up in the hype for this. I had the shirts, action figures, trading cards, comics and magazines.

So on to the review as I watch.

Opening scene, awesome, ending with the great line “I’m Batman!” Considering the backlash at Keaton’s casting, I’m sure he and Burton loved putting that in so early on.

Trivia, Billy Dee Williams was contracted to reprise his role as Dent and become Two-Face in future sequels and got a huge payday when they bought him out to cast Tommy Lee Jones in Forever.

Nicholson was great as the Joker for the style and tone of this movie. He really embraces the sick brand of humor that makes the Joker one of the Dark Knights greatest foes.

Hidden bat signs. The gate to Wayne Manor has some bat looking iron work. Also in the huge dining room in the wide shots of Vale, the arch behind her left shoulder looks like an upside down bat. Speaking of the date scene, Vicki Vale is kinda slutty. Her first date at a guys house and she gets plastered and spends the night.

In the scene where Joker throws the pen in the guys neck, why do the 2 cops just stand there as Joker delivers his line??

Keaton’s performance as Bruce Wayne is the best of the 90’s. He balances the charm and melancholy necessary for the part better than Kilmer or Clooney.

Great cinematography, the city feels like one of the strange twisted characters that Burton is famous for.

The Batmobile is awesome!! It fits the world that was created in this film. The shields are kind of lame but the car makes up for it. I want one!!!

I Like the chase from the museum. Could do without Basinger screaming every 3.29 seconds though. I really love how easily Batman dispatches the sword thug, kinda a nod to Indy in Raiders.

In addition to being nothing more than a screaming plot device, Vale is an idiot. She can’t piece together the clues. Who has the money to be Batman, operates out of a cave equidistant from town as the house of my boyfriend, sounds like Bruce with a cold and has those full pouty lips??

I really enjoy suiting up for battle scenes, I actually wish this one had been a little longer. It could have shown us those wonderful toys at B-man strapped them to his belt.

Elfman’s score is amazing!! Not quite as amazing as Prince’s Batdance, but close.

The scene of the Batwing in the moon, hokey, yes, supercool, yes that too!!

Joker’s super long gun, hokey, yes, supercool, not so much.

The climax is great, after Batman emerges from the wreckage you get the feel that it’s on like Donkey Kong!! From when Joker tells his chopper to be there in 10 mins, the movie plays out in real time, kinda neat.

The rooftop sequence is wonderful, capturing the nature of both hero and villain. The only thing I don’t like is that they killed the Joker. That’s one of the great things about the dynamic. Batman wants to kill Joker but can’t. For a wonderful explanation of why see Batman:Under The Red Hood.

All together this is a wonderful adaptation of Batman. It came at a time when Batman wasn’t huge and comic book movies were rare and even more rarely good. It has it’s flaws to be sure, but the performances and direction make up for them.

This movie paved the way for future comic movies. Without this Batman I feel we wouldn’t have the Nolan trilogy or Marvel’s phase one.

Top 5 abhorrent comic book movies:
5. Superman 3 and 4. After the first two being so good, the franchise lost steam like a kettle taken off the burner.

4. Captain America (1990) Total low budget camp. If you haven’t seen it, don’t bother.

3. Ghost Rider 2. Sucks more than a Dyson.

2. Watchmen. I was jazzed to see this. I was let down. It was way to long, way to abstract an I got tired of seeing Dr. Manhattan’s “business” aired out for all to see.

1. The Fantastic Four. The 1994 Roger Corman version from 1994. If a studio is going to throw money out to make a crap movie just to keep the rights to the characters, they should at least let the cast and crew know. Available in its entirety on YouTube.